tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6228266796729791172024-02-19T09:53:06.389-06:00Palai EboulethenLong Ago I made a WishRebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.comBlogger269125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-54226146142173917472015-07-10T09:51:00.002-05:002015-07-10T09:51:57.893-05:00Day 5 Things didn't go as well this morning. I could only get through 3 jogs before I really needed to not do more. So, I walked until I had a half mile done and then did a mile on the stationary bike. I am not going to let this get me down.<br />
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Later the girls and I are headed for the pool. That should more than make up for calories not burned this morning! LOL<br />
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Sadly, (and not sadly) this is NOT what the girls will look like this afternoon at the pool. This was...2001 probably. If so, dd17 was age 3 (foreground) and dd16 was age 2 (getting splashed in the background.)<br /><br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-64066916013365877912015-07-09T12:33:00.002-05:002015-07-09T12:33:21.902-05:002015 (part B) Resolutions The healthy eating and exercise vary. Starting over for the second half of this year. Well, things didn't get so bad as to say I am "starting over," but close. There were a couple of months of illness and family emergencies, etc, that got in the way. But right now the future looks clear, and I want to live it moving, not sitting in one place.<br />
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I have walked every day this week. Roughly half a mile Monday and Tuesday. That is the distance around the block our house is on. Yesterday I went to the gym to begin an interval training plan. Week 1 starts with (warm-up walk 5 mins then) (Jog for 30 seconds, walk for 90 seconds) 7 times.<br />
After the 4th jog I considered stopping. My breathing was off, and I just felt blah. I did the 5th anyway. I decided to not decide to quit until I KNEW I could not keep going. When the time came for the 6th I could NOT handle jogging. But, I decided to keep walking rather than stop altogether. I was able to jog again when the 7th would have started. So, I walked 3:30 between 5 and 6. That helped a lot. I intended to do the same thing for the 7th, but ended up getting confused and jogged after only walking 3 mins. No big deal.<br />
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Went home, relaxed, had some lunch, went back to the gym to walk in the pool for a few hours.<br />
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I LOVE walking in the pool. First, there is the general fun that being at a poll always is. Second, the water takes so much of the pressure off my knees that it is unreal. 6 years ago I needed a cane to walk across my living room, my arthritis was so bad. But I could walk with no trouble in the pool. That's how I got this exercise thing started (though it took a while to really get rolling.)<br />
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We stayed at the pool for 3 hours and I walked back and forth in the 25 meter lap pool for 3.5 kilometers. I felt fine (physically) afterwards. I felt AMAZING emotionally. After the pool I had to drive 40 minutes to pick JD up from work and then 40 minutes back. That had my muscles aching. It didn't really get much better before bedtime and I had trouble getting comfortable enough to sleep.<br />
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This morning after I dropped him off I went to the gym. My plan was to get a few miles on the elliptical bike, since that is low impact on my knees. But they were both in use. I hopped on a treadmill for a slow walk workout (No jogging allowed, or even walking too fast!) I figured I'd do a mile and then go. I got to .8 miles when a bike became available. I considered finishing my mile, but I was worried about losing the bike. I went to the bike, got 2 miles in, then, before I left, hopped back on the treadmill and picked up the .2 miles I was short of my goal.<br />
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All in all I feel good today, the walking/biking helped with the left-over soreness from yesterday. My only complaint is that I am tired, since I had trouble sleeping. I will probably take a nap after lunch.<br />
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I may even get back in the pool after that.<br />
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His and Mine - I know which ones will wear out first.<br /><br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-2501860906203487062015-01-06T20:05:00.000-06:002015-01-06T20:05:15.678-06:00Resolution 1 downSo much for posting to my blog every day. If one of the resolutions is going to be scrapped, this one is better than the exercise and healthy eating. AND (this is big for me) missing one day doesn't mean I have to quit.<br />
<br />
I might back off some if all I have to post is talking about the weather.<br />
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Don't get me wrong, the occasional "It was lovely today." or "Brrr, I hate the cold!" is still going to show up, and THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT. But I promise to try to be more interesting than glancing out the window or checking the weather online.<br />
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Daily walking report - Still going on day 6<br />
Daily photo report - Still going, although, some days are better than others.<br />
Daily eating report - Getting healthier as time goes by.<br />
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And, I hope you weren't fooled by the word "daily." None of those topics makes for exciting blogs posts.<br />
<br />
What would? <br />
Humor? Sure, but my life is pretty mundane. I don't really live in a comedy.<br />
Philosophy? Sometimes I might dabble, but it's nothing to warrant a whole blog over, just a post now and then. <br />
Cooking? Movies reviews? Religion? (tried that, got bored)<br />
<br />
Honestly, I will write whatever strikes me that day. <br />
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I don't know why I am haranguing you over this. Really, I guess I am typing my own thoughts to myself. <br />
<br />
But, this blog really isn't much more than that.<br />
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Actually, I am kind of bored and only posted here as something to do. I think I'll go play some sudoku.<br />
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For your viewing pleasure - a bad picture of the Mississippi River taken as we drove across the bridge from Mississippi into Arkansas.<br /><br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-87287847191677170982015-01-04T17:22:00.003-06:002015-01-04T17:22:54.083-06:00Colder todayI already went for my walk today. If I had known what the weather was going to be like, I would not have complained about what it was like a few days ago. Those damp, wet clouds were holding in what heat we had. The shy id clear today and lovely, and we will barely spend just a few hours above freezing. (Yes, I know that seems pathetic when most of North America is snowy, but I was not built for cold!)<br />
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I did not want to walk in the park today. I went around the block behind our house instead. It wasn't as far as I had thought and I am slightly disappointed. I am not sure in what though. Myself for not walking farther? The block for not being bigger? The weather for being cold? Yeah, I have the feeling that is it.<br />
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In normal winters (At least since I became an adult, and definitely since I became a stay at home mom) I stay indoors and ignore the cold. Now that I am trying to walk every day and just get out of the house more in general, the cold won't be ignored. Even if I went to the gym to walk on the treadmill I would still have to be out in the cold for the voyage there and back.<br />
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Maybe I should make all of my New Years Resolutions for the Springtime.<br />
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I didn't take any interesting pictures either. Or I wasn't in the right mood to see them.<br />
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Looks warm, eh? No! It was COLD!<br />
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I really can't wait for things to warm up. There is so much around Plano and Dallas (and beyond) that I want to photograph, but that I don't want to go out in the cold for.<br />
RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-86216954313231378322015-01-03T14:05:00.002-06:002015-01-03T14:05:58.631-06:00ProcrastinationI should go for my walk. The weather is nicer than it has been for the last few days. It is about 5 degrees warmer. All in all it will be more pleasant. (Though, I won't be able to take a picture of raindrop ripples.) But I am putting it off.<br />
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Why? Laziness mainly. I just don't want to get up and going. I should figure out where my energy has gone. It is probably waiting for me to get off my butt. Stupid energy.<br />
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Also, I checked the weather report for today on my phone and it says that it will warm up a little more in the next hour and get sunnier. I can afford to wait another hour before going out.<br />
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As if 48 will be so much better than 46.<br />
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<br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-7629990809417998602015-01-02T18:12:00.003-06:002015-01-02T18:15:50.429-06:00Darn!Well, not really, but that is the only sock related pun I could think of in short notice.<br />
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I am not darning socks, I am knitting them. This isn't my first try to knit socks, just the first one that has not yet been abandoned in frustration. We'll see how this goes.<br />
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Dd 17 (That's the oldest.) knit me a pair of socks for Christmas. They are lovely. They fill my with warm feelings for how well she did and her thoughtfulness. They also fill me with thoughts of inadequacy about my own skills and how I gave up knitting socks a couple of years ago and never got anything out of the yarn I bought (except for a quick and easy Christmas gift for her this year that I had paid for a long time ago.) (Not the yarn she used to knit my socks. She took that out of the same stash, though.)<br />
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In honor of my 42 things I want to do while I am 42, I have picked back up the double-pointed needles and will give this crazy idea another try.<br />
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In other news, I was very tempted to skip my walk today. It is cold and wet and I didn't want to also be cold and wet. But I still went. More for the photography than the exercise. I was willing to skip the exercise, but I am trying to take photos every day this year and did not want to just click a snapshot of the junk on my desk. Do you think the calories I burned know that I wasn't there for them? Anything that gets me moving is good, so I'll take it. This Photo365 project might be a better wonder than just practice looking through the view-finder. (I am not actually looking through a view finder anyway, since it is a digital camera.)<br />
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Yesterday and today were both walks around the park across the street. Both days have been overcast and rainy. I went both days around noon. You really cannot tell much difference in the photos from today and those of yesterday. Plus, the only interesting thing out there was birds. Yesterday I got a nice picture of a blue heron (I think) and today I focused on ducks. I am going to get very tired of damp waterfowl if things don't change. Maybe I should go to the mall.<br />
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One of the shots today was of the waterfall at the spillway on the other end of the pond. I didn't notice until I was looking over the pics after the walk how interesting the raindrop ripples were. (The waterfall was not all that interesting.) Tomorrow, if I am lucky enough that it is raining again, (sigh) I will try to get shots focusing on ripples. Or at least something that is not a bird.<br />
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What have I learned so far? Apertures are tricky. Cloudy lighting is good for lighting, but gloomy. And I need a tripod.<br />
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I usually post pics unrelated to the blog entry, but...<br />
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for your enjoyment, an uninteresting waterfall.<br />
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Cheers!<br />
<br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-69274039202975750942015-01-01T13:31:00.001-06:002015-01-01T13:31:38.717-06:00Life, the Universe, and EverythingHappy New Year!<br />
<br />
A lot has happened in 2014. <br />
We have moved from Mississippi to Texas, that's the big one. <br />
I have lost 30 pounds. But, you cannot really tell yet. I am still wearing the same clothes; they just fit differently. <br />
Dd 14 (that's the youngest, if you can't keep the ages straight (and who can?)) got her braces off last month and seems to be doing well with her retainer. <br />
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I turned 42 and tried to make a list of 42 things I want to do this year.<br />
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1. Quilt - I have "quilted" before. I know the general process. but I have never made anything bigger than a baby blanket. It would be nice to make a full, bed-size quilt.<br />
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2. Paint - I have always felt like I was not qualified to paint a painting. Like only "real" artists get to do that. Well, screw that thinking. I am going to paint something!<br />
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3. Exercise - I have already been doing this recently, but I want to keep at it, so might as well put it on the list.<br />
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4. Eat healthy - Ditto. Although, this has not been as easy as the exercising.<br />
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5. Garden - Not our yard, can't till the soil, but think I might like to have some pots with flowers on the back patio or front walk.<br />
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6. Organize - Even after paring down our belongings for the move this place is crazy. it won't get any less so unless I do something about it.<br />
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7. Knit - I already knit, but I have put that hobby on the back burner for a while. I think I'd like to pick it back up again, maybe learn a new technique.<br />
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8. Graphic Art - Art doesn't have to be paint or clay. I think I'd like to make something impressive on my computer.<br />
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9. Explore our new city - We have been here almost a year. The areas we travel often are familiar now, but there are huge tracts of city we have never seen.<br />
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10. Meet People - My hermetic tendencies have not abated. I need to force myself to get out and meet people.<br />
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11. Write a Novel - I have stories in my head. Time to get them into my computer.<br />
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12. Write a Comic - Some of those stories are more image based.<br />
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13. Teach - I think we will look into local homeschool groups, meet some new people. Also, we need to be more in-depth with some of our lessons. And branch out into new subjects.<br />
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14. Walk - Seems a waste to live across the street from a cute little park and never use it. I want to get out there every day, if possible. <br />
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15. Collect Dirt - I will have to travel farther from home to get more states for my World Collection. <br />
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16. Travel - I would want to do this even if I wasn't wanting to collect dirt. I'd love to do more than just drive to the state line, but there are no plans...yet.<br />
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17. Keep to the Budget - I have bad spending habits, even though I KNOW better. This year I want to do better.<br />
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18. Write Letters - Many of the people I want to keep in touch with are not online. So, this year, let's keep in touch!<br />
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19. Give to Charity - I have in the past, I want to do so in the future.<br />
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20. Be Kind - I wish everyone would try harder at this. I need to try harder at this.<br />
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21. Photography - Let's take some pictures!<br />
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22. Fold 1000 origami cranes - Japanese legend says a wish will be granted if you do this. Ok. Let's see. If I fold a crane every time i eat healthy rather than junk, and every time I work out, etc I might get my wish of losing weight. I am willing to give it another try.<br />
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23. Go to the Zoo - A lot of good walking can get done between the kangaroos and the gorillas.<br />
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24. Learn to make stained glass designs - I don't suppose I NEED a new hobby, but...I would LOVE to be able to do this. How do I learn how?<br />
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25. Learn to make lace - Ditto<br />
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26. Crochet - I already know hoe to crochet. But, as with the knitting, I have let it fall for a while. Let's make something lovely!<br />
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27. Finish my doll house - I really need to stop buying stuff for the doll house if I am not going to use it. And I love working with the miniatures, so...let's actually get something done!<br />
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28. Walk at least 1 5k race - This past Thanksgiving (November 27, 2014) my family and I walking in our first 5k. This was a feat of athleticism I would not have been able to achieve only a few months earlier. (I am still amazed that I did this!) Sometime this year I want to do it again!<br />
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29. Art quilt - This is a different style of quilt making than what people normally think of. The quilt is smaller and meant to hang on the wall as art rather than keep a bed warm. I'd love to do something like this.<br />
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30.<br />
31.<br />
32.Finish my 42 Things List !!!!<br />
33.<br />
34. <br />
35.<br />
36.<br />
37.<br />
38.<br />
39.<br />
40.<br />
41.<br />
42.<br />
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I can't come up with 42 things I want to do while I am 42. I am sure things will occur to me as time goes by.<br />
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Have you ever seen a more beautiful day for late November? It was 70 degreesF and the sky was a lovely blue. This picture is of the finish line. After walking 5k it was a wonderful site.<br /><br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-27000260811386416572014-08-27T10:10:00.000-05:002014-08-27T10:10:14.493-05:00SensesThe air conditioner in our car is ... well, not quite "broken" but sort of fritzy. It isn't quite what it once was. So, recently, we have been driving with the windows down. This is something I was actually quite accustomed to as a child, but in the decades since then, I have become a "windows up" driver pretty exclusively.<br />
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What I have found is amazing. Wonderful. Sure, you have to make sure there aren't any loose papers in the car, but otherwise I love it. The journey to take my husband to work (15 miles away) and the return to get him in the evening is an incredible sensory experience.<br />
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The first thing that caught my attention was on an evening trip. Driving past restaurants at around 5 pm is beyond words. The smells are intoxicating. Steaks, onions, peppers...anything being cooked on a grill or griddle that needs to vent to the outdoors is available. Last week when we had to drive downtown (unfamiliar territory for us) we tried to guess what restaurants we were near by scent.<br />
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"I definitely smell onions grilling. Oh, there's a Mexican place. That could easily be fajitas."<br />
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"Do you smell Chinese food? I smell Chinese food."<br />
"There's a Thai place on the corner. That's probably it."<br />
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"Can you tell we're in Texas? Smell that steak!"<br />
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Try it in your town. All it costs is some wind-swept hair.<br />
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This morning was different. The "feast for the senses" was not aromas this morning. It usually isn't. This morning there were wonderful sounds, everyday sounds, that just somehow seemed ... more than everyday.<br />
The best times to try were at red lights. The wind itself gets very loud, plus the sound of our own car's engine. But at the stops...a small dog barking...someone playing a radio in their yard...as we got closer to his office it was more commercial and less residential. My second favorite was the sound of the expressway we were not on, but next to. Occasionally there were not brakes or horns, just the sound of the cars driving by. It sounded like a river.<br />
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Then, after he was gone and I had gone home alone, past a fire truck with its siren on, I got to my neighborhood, passed a lawnmower and weed-eater, and to my favorite sound of the morning. Elementary school recess. Laughter, squeals, running sneakers, all brought a smile to my face and a nice start to my day.<br />
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Cheers<br />
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State and national flags at the rest stop in Mississippi just before we crossed the river, taken on the day we moved. Nice and breezy, good for taking photos of flags. I should find a nice Texas flag and get a photo of it. Shouldn't be too hard. Texans are proud of their flag. The things are everywhere.<br /><br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-5504101500866607602014-06-13T18:25:00.000-05:002014-06-13T18:25:04.235-05:00Settling In<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It has been about a month since we moved to the Dallas / Fort Worth area. I love our rental house. It is big and lovely, and very empty. To save space (and money) on the move we didn't bring a lot of our furniture. We decided to either do without or buy more in Texas. So far it has been mostly doing without. Over the next few months we will be getting new furniture a few pieces at a time.<br />
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I love Plano, and like the Dallas area as a whole. It is taking some getting used to, but I suppose if there is a metropolitan area I would fit into with little or no culture shock it is... Atlanta...with Dallas a close second. <br />
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Family Game Day April 2014<br /><br />
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<br /><br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-18060546275480285082014-04-13T00:08:00.002-05:002014-04-13T00:08:19.550-05:00ProgressThings are going well. I don't want anyone to read the previous post and worry about us overmuch. We have a decent savings tucked away for just such occasions.<br />
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DH hit the job market hard. He had contacts from a couple of years ago, plus an attitude of not letting this snag him. We decided what we wanted in a city and he decided hat he wanted in a job. There have already been leads that got turned down because they didn't meet what we want.<br />
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Currently it looks as if we will be relocating to Dallas, TX. It isn't definite, but it is almost there. Sometime next week, early, we will be going to Dallas so he can have in-person interviews to follow up the video-call interview that happened last week.<br />
We were hoping to get it all scheduled Friday and be there on Monday, but that didn't happen. We'll likely hear from them on Monday and either have to hit the road immediately or the next day. At very least we'll know more than we do now. I am looking forward to the trip, but also feeling a bit nervous. Dallas is a bigger city than we have ever lived in, or even visited, really.<br />
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While he is interviewing, I am tasked with checking things out in general, and the housing market in particular. I have been doing some online research, but there is more I can do there in person. So, I get to explore the Dallas area on my own while he lets some managers in on the secret that he is the guy they need in their department.<br />
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Every time I see this picture, I think dd15 is in there center, until I notice the braces. Pictured- dd16, dd13, and dd15.<br /><br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-59783050016014027882014-03-20T19:23:00.000-05:002014-03-20T19:23:01.996-05:00Pack it up!My husband came home at lunchtime yesterday. It seems that the company laid off roughly 25 people, all across the departments, etc. OK<br />
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Well, we have a nice bit saved up for emergencies, and he'll get a severance, and things look bright for him finding another job in the near future (rather than the far future.) No worries. (Well, maybe not NO worries, but less than if, say , we were living paycheck to paycheck with nothing squirreled away and were heavily in debt.<br />
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I have not been liking living in Oxford for a few years now. We have been here since 2005 and I don't feel like I fit in. But one doesn't just uproot for no reason. Now we have good reason. Since the odds of finding work in Oxford are very low and Mississippi in general doesn't look good we are almost surely moving. And the fact that I WANT to move only makes it more certain. <br />
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I just wish I knew where to.<br />
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I guess that remains to be seen.<br />
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I am not really "worried" so much as uncertain and curious about where we will be going. <br />
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And even excited. (I hope I like it.)<br />
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More random photo fun...<br />
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Car window (from inside the car) a few months ago. Frost!<br /><br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-47597302694556721352014-03-20T19:14:00.001-05:002014-03-20T19:14:35.814-05:00Don't feel like itI gave up the drawing practice after two days because I wasn't having fun. I can't say it'll be forever. I may give another try in the future.<br />
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RANDOM PICTURE!!! (not really random, just having nothing to do with blog post)<br />
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I was an incredibly cute kindergartener. 1978<br /><br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-53046054466775156732014-02-06T07:11:00.001-06:002014-02-06T07:11:39.859-06:00AH hahahaha!Looking back at my last post and seeing my complaints about the cold make me laugh now after feeling the effects of the <echo> POLAR VORTEX. </echo> (I also laugh at my plans to take so many photos during the holidays.)<br />
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Sure...go ahead and plan, Past Me. We both know the odds of it coming to pass.<br />
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The Holidays went well, but seemed to go quickly. We put off decorating for so long that by the time we did get out tree up it felt like it was coming down immediately. I will try to be better prepared this coming year. (Please do not laugh at me, Future Me.)<br />
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Wild subject change coming in 3...2...1...<br />
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I saw a YouTube video of a TEDx talk last week that got me to thinking. The speaker's point was that the amount of practice it takes to be passably good at something has been wildly exaggerated and that if people realized how possible it was to learn something new they would be pleasantly surprised. (20 hours, rather than 10,000) So, armed with that, I plan to expand my universe this year by taking up things that interest me but that I have, in recent years, felt that I had let too much of my life pass to take up, like drawing, or playing the mandolin, or painting, or...(insert something else awesome)<br />
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I do hope Future Me is laughing at how awesome it was to learn these things and not the audacity of me planning something. Naw, I am not going to HOPE for anything from Future Me. I am going to make her look back on Present Me with awe and respect. She'll owe me a lot! But I don't expect anything in return, no. She should pay it forward to Future Future Me.<br />
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Anyway, dd13 (that's the youngest) got a book on drawing cartoon people as one of her holiday gifts, AND I had an idea for a holiday card (or group of them) that involved cartoon drawings, SO...for my first 20 hours feat...SOUFFLE BAKING! (Nope, just kidding) CARTOON DRAWING.<br />
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An hour a day should have my 20 done by the end of February. I'll let you know how it goes.<br />
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Now, for your post-holiday enjoyment, Me with some of my gifts! A Dressy Bessy doll, and a crochet hat and scarf. I got more than that, but that is what is shown. Judging by the size of Me, I'd say 1975 or 76. Also pictured, The Big Chair and My Mother's Arm.<br />
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<br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-38587320500052603902013-11-29T00:53:00.002-06:002013-11-29T00:53:39.107-06:00So darn coldOK, yes, I realize Mississippi just doesn't get what most people consider to be COLD. I don't care. I am not comfortable due to low temperatures, therefore, it is cold.<br />
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Happenings around here: Mostly working on homemade Christmas gifts. Not knitting or crocheting (as I usually would be)<br />
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This weekend (maybe tomorrow) I will be fixing up our advent calendar. I'll post a pic or two when I get it done. It is my intention to take a photo (or more than one) for every day in December leading up to (and after) Christmas for my scrapbook. I might post those as well.<br />
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I am tired and I have a headache. Not the best mood for blogging. I don't know why I bother.<br />
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Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving and such.<br />
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Our feast was small but well received.<br /><br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-37378200375189824252013-11-26T13:39:00.003-06:002013-11-26T13:39:53.120-06:00Tea: Part Q appendix 12So, I realized, after posting the last entry that I had already had Tea part 2, or some variation of that. Sorry for the confusion. Refund checks are in the mail.<br />
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This is the last tea entry, unless something VERY interesting comes up.<br />
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Pomegranate Tea.<br />
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I have tried green tea with pomegranate flavor before. I didn't care for it. There was just something about it. The fruity underflavoring reminded me of the taste of bubble gum. You know, that flavor that "bubble gum" flavored bubble gum has that really isn't anything other than bubble gum.<br />
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I like pomegranates and pomegranate juice. I never noticed any similarity between the tart flavor and the intensely un-tart flavor of bubble gum. <br />
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Yet, in this "pomegranate" tea blend, the flavor is there again. Maybe it is a case of the "flavor" not tasting like the real thing, like watermelon candy (or grape or banana or ... anything, really.)<br />
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Either way, I don't particularly care for this tea, but it doesn't suck, so I will drink it until it is gone.<br />
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I definitely like citrus blends better.<br />
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Christmas at Grandma's 1978. My siblings and cousins and I. I have my eyes closed. I can tell this is 1978 because of how little my brother is. Matching dresses for the girls! Gotta love it!<br />
RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-44294855712058274722013-11-21T20:32:00.001-06:002013-11-21T20:32:53.754-06:00Tea Too: The TeaquelIt has been a while since my beginning exploration of "real" (or "fancy-schmancy") tea. I was shopping online last week and ended up on the site I had ordered the tea from a few months ago. I ordered some of what I had enjoyed then as well as a few new flavor mixes.<br />
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Today's experience...cranberry tea. It was a free gift from Adagio. It is a basic loose leaf black tea with raspberry leaves and cranberry pieces. I have it right now with sugar. The flavor is not bad. I don't think this is my favorite, but I am enjoying it. For a bit a berry fruitiness, it'll do.<br />
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I think I preferred the orange-ness from the earl grey I had a few months ago (which I did buy more of.) Interesting that I prefer the citrus when I absolutely HATE lemon in my tea. Big difference between orange and lemon.<br />
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Today's photo offering, My Dad, whose birthday is coming up this weekend. Happy Birthday, Daddy! <br />
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<br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-34338119314605068112013-08-05T19:53:00.002-05:002013-08-05T19:53:43.491-05:00There and Back AgainSo, I came up with the brilliant idea that the family vacation this year should be a massive week-long road trip. The fact that a version of me from the future did not come back to beat some sense into me is proof that Time Travel will not exist in my lifetime.<br />
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We had a very nice trip, but are all exhausted, in pain, and glad to be home. Driving all day is not the same as sitting all day. I am glad we took the trip, but I am very ready, not only to BE home (which we already are), but to recover completely from the trip (which we have not.) The old joke of needing a vacation to get over a vacation is true in our case just now.<br />
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The purpose of the trip was something of a grand tour of the Southern US. With many subordinate goals, such as showing the girls new areas, sights, and features of the region, visiting family, having fun, and gaining dirt for my collection from states I did not already have.<br />
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First, we drive to my in-laws' home in Kentucky. Nothing new there, but we haven't seen them since Christmas and it was a good time to do so.<br />
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Much, though not all, of the trip looked like this in the back seat. Electronic devices abounded to cut the boredom that trees going by at 70 mph could not.<br />
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For one night the kids stayed with their grandparents and DH and I went for some couple time. "How far can we drive in a day" was an exercise I excelled at during the planning phase of this trip and the winning city for us this time was Kenosha, Wisconsin. I wanted something nice, on Lake Michigan, and not Chicago or Milwaukee. We were told (after booking the hotel) that Lake Geneva is nicer, but I have nothing but good things to say about our stay in Kenosha.<br />
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Our hotel was right next to the harbor and there is a lovely harborside
park where people spent the wonderful afternoon walking dogs and
children, playing guitar, etc. It was pleasant and romantic, just what I wanted. <br />
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The next day we drove around the end of the lake, through bits of Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana, to get to Michigan. Just because we could.<br />
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My heart goes out to anyone who has to drive Chicago expressways to get to work everyday. I would go mad. I think some of them have, as well.<br />
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We spent the day driving again and returned to his parents' home to collect the girls. We love them too much to do otherwise. His parents, I mean, though the girls too, I guess.<br />
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What can I say about two days spent driving in the midwest? (one mostly in Illinois and the other mostly in Indiana) Umm, America grows a lot of corn. A LOT of corn. Corn fields for mile upon mile, acre upon acre. Miles and miles of corn. Hilly corn, flat corn, smallish fields, huge fields. Amber waves of corn.<br />
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I would put a picture here of some of the corn, but even I am not that shutter-happy, or cruel to my two or three readers.<br />
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Naw, who am I kidding?!<br />
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Once the family was reunited we had another goal...the ocean. That meant two days of driving eastward. We crossed Kentucky lengthwise, dipped over the river into Ohio just because it was there,<br />
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then down into West Virginia. We drove past race horse farms, beautiful countryside and something else the girls have never seen...mountains.<br />
In the pic below...not a mountain, but an indication of what was to come. Eventually the highway department stops cutting them away to make things easier on drivers.<br />
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As I said, we drove down into West Virginia. After that, we drove up in West Virginia, then down in West Virginia, ad nauseum. I found the West Virginia Turnpike an unpleasant test of my nerves. The picture below does not adequately represent the diagonal nature of many local roads. Also, the picture was taken at sunset and before we escaped West Virginia we were having to drive down seven+ mile long inclines in pitch blackness, with trucks that, though warned by signs to keep to first gear, were still barreling down pretty fast.<br />
How often do truck have to lose control or brakes for the highway department to actually BUILD permanent "Runaway Truck Ramps" ? Of all the things I expected to miss about home, flat, straight roads was not on my list. Now, I know better. Potholes aside, I will not take Mississippi roads for granted. There are potholes everywhere. Not every state has diagonal, twisty, death-trap roads.<br />
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After a night in a hotel in Wytheville, VA (chosen because it won the "How far can we drive in a day" tournament for that leg of the trip.) the next day seemed easier, but then, the land was gradually getting flatter on the highways we traveled. And it wasn't dark. It amazes me how different Virginia is from it's child-state. West Virginia was lovely to look at, but not my driving comfort zone. (How I would handle the Rockies is something I do not want to contemplate.)<br />
After Virginia came another state that is known for being part of the Appalachians. That worried me, but I guess my choice of highways, leading toward the coast, was a good one. Things leveled out. It took an unbelievably long time to see any corn fields. We didn't see any in either of the Virginias. And the steepish (but manageably so) bits of North Carolina didn't have any either. We were a few hours into the state before I saw any of that crop that had dominated our trip a few days before.<br />
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North Carolina passed uneventfully, which made it a trip favorite for me, after West Virginia. (I don't want to sound like I did not like West Virginia. It was lovely. I was tired. We had been driving all day. It was dark and I did not like the downhill grades that seemed to come one after another.) (Perhaps West Virginia is some sort of bottomless valley. It seemed like we were constantly driving DOWN without much compensatory driving UP to go with it.)<br />
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After a few hours, eventually North Carolina gave way to South Carolina (It does that is you are on the correct roads.) and...Myrtle Beach! The hotel charges $5 extra to make sure your room overlooks the beach rather than the street. Money well spent!<br />
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The girls loved the beach. It was a completely new experience that no amount of time in a swimming pool can prepare someone for. I am glad. That was the reason we went after all. I myself haven't been to the ocean since I was in high school, and never the Atlantic. (When in Brazil it was winter and all we did was walk along the beach, never got wet.)<br />
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I forgot how much I hate going to the beach. I don't mind being near the ocean. I love the sound of the waves and watching the waves from a distance. I hate walking on sand. I hate sand in general. It is fun to play with, but refuses to let you leave in peace when beach day is over. It gets everywhere!<br />
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I do love watching the waves, though.<br />
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After two days at the shore our trip took a turn westward. We were finally aimed at home, even though we still had a stop along the way.<br />
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Last year DD12 and I went to the Georgia Aquarium and enjoyed it immensely. We wanted to go again and share the experience with the others.<br />
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The petting tank...<br />
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Electric eel...<br />
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Piranha...<br />
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and big, huge, amazing ocean tank.<br />
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(shown here in too much of a close-up to convey it properly. The tank window is the size of a movie screen.)<br />
We saw examples of every ... class (I think) (maybe Order, biology class was over 25 years ago) of vertibrates...fish (obviously), mammals (otters and dolphins and beluga), birds (penguins), reptiles (alligators), and amphibians (frogs.) Also many types of invertebrates, including sea stars, urchins, jellies, mollusks, and crabs.<br />
The place was a lot more crowded then last time. The only day we could go was a Saturday, plus there were events and conferences taking place nearby. I overheard a couple of locals saying they had never seen it so crazy. I am glad I didn't know it would be like that. I might have chickened out. But as it was, I handled it without too much mental meltdown. Yay!<br />
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The next day we left for home. It was wonderful to be on the last stretch. It was even more wonderful to get back onto familiar highways and then home. We got back yesterday and I am still exhausted. <br />
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Proof of how exhausted I was...<br />
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Any of you who actually know me will (after being SHOCKED at this photo) realize that I must have been falling-over-dead tired or in Emergency Room levels of pain to relinquish the command chair to DH.<br />
Honestly, the first few days of the trip were like that. I always drove. But, as the week went on and my legs showed the strain of driving and I got more and more tired, even after sleeping (when possible) in the hotels, it became easier and easier to get past my need to be behind the wheel. In this photo we are on the road to Atlanta, which I believe was more of him driving than me. Exhaustion, boredom, pain, or character growth, who can say?<br />
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It did give me more chance to do this on the road.<br />
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<br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-31029848918823728482013-07-08T17:03:00.000-05:002013-07-08T17:03:14.992-05:00Going HerbalThe next tea in the rotation is an Earl Grey Rooibos blend.<br />
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Blech!<br />
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The rooibos smells bad and tastes bad as well. Or maybe it tastes fine but the smell makes it taste bad. Either way...blech!<br />
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I got it because I know rooibos is supposed to be good for allergies. I think I'll take Singulair and drink tasty tea instead.<br />
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I moved quickly onto a Moroccan green tea / peppermint blend. I went ahead and added sugar because I know Moroccan style tea is very sweet. Or is that coffee? I think tea. Anyway, I did not have the same aftertaste trouble that I had before. The mint was very strong and quite yummy. This isn't really an "every day" king of tea. It felt more like it was for special occasions. Whatever I end up deciding to do, I will do it again.<br />
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The rooibos not so much.<br />
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Short entry today. Pretty much just about tea. You'll just have to deal with it.<br />
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OK, so not entirely about tea. Hubby and I are thinking about still taking a vacation, but not as extensive as planned before. I'll keep you up to date.<br />
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And, I'll try to find an interesting picture I have not posted before for your enjoyment.<br />
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A picture of a picture. My first birthday. I love the early 1970s fruity table cloth. (Also a small bit of my cousin holding a football.)RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-21406163802060808352013-06-30T10:12:00.001-05:002013-06-30T10:12:17.222-05:00Tea: Part TwoMy tea cups car large, 2 cup capacity. The sample of Earl Grey I bought only has one cup's worth left, so today we move on to a new sample. Peach Oolong.<br />
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This isn't my first lighter tea, but I am glad the samples have directions on how long to steep. With Lipton I often just relied on color.<br />
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The peachy aroma is very strong. There is not as strong a tea smell as I had with the Earl Grey. Iam not sure if that is a trait of the oolong being subtler or the peach being so powerful. I'd need to order some non-peachy oolong to know for sure.<br />
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I am not adding sugar, lesson learned from the Earl Grey.<br />
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Mississippi Cotton Blossom taken a couple of years ago. It is too early in the season for it to look like this just now.<br /><br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-56920519104957647982013-06-26T07:17:00.001-05:002013-06-26T07:17:22.018-05:00Tea: Earl Grey, HotThere is currently a treat swap going on Ravelry. They are not uncommon among pleasant social sites, but this is my first in a very long while. I was to knit a Christmas Decoration, supply a treat recipe, and spend $10 on a small gift.<br />
The ornament is 90% finished. The recipe will be Magic Cookie Bars. And I reviewed my randomly chosen recipient's profile for ideas for a gift.<br />
She likes tea. Real tea. "Oo, interesting," I thought to myself. (because no one else would actually be interested.)<br />
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I dallied around online, ebay mostly, to find an interesting cup or kettle, but nothing fell under the $10 mark. Finally, I googled "tea" or something along those lines and found a few online sites that sell actual tea.<br />
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I suppose I could have checked the local grocery, but I had (have) very little faith that what counts as "good" tea would be found near the Lipton and Celestial Seasonings bags.<br />
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The longer I looked over what the site (<a href="http://www.adagio.com/" target="_blank">Adagio Teas</a>) the more interested in "real" tea I became. So, I bought a small bit of Moroccan mint tea (because her profile suggested a liking for mint) for the random recipient, plus a steeper and selection of various "real" teas for myself.<br />
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The package arrived yesterday. I had my first cup of hot tea (that did not steep through a bag) yesterday afternoon. If you know me even a little, you know there is more than a passing acquaintance with Star Trek in my life. And, really, can any Star Trek fan go to a tea site and NOT buy at least a little Earl Grey? No, the answer is no.<br />
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I have a dedicated sweet tooth where my beverages are concerned. Anything that is not water or milk has sugar. And if I am doing the sugaring...it has quite a bit. I tend to make my coffee in the "melted candy bar" range of sugar content. But, I did not want to bury the real flavor of my (more expensive than Lipton) real Earl Grey tea under a mountain of sugar. So, I drank it straight.<br />
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The smell was unbelievable! I could have sat there all afternoon just inhaling the vapor from the cup. I have spent many a moment breathing in the glorious smell of a cup of coffee, but this was 1000x better. Sweeter, fresher, more exotic. It smelled like the tea I knew, but was different in a way I cannot put my finger on. And, when it had cooled enough to sip (Captain Picard might drink his hot, but I have no desire for burned lips nor tongue.) the taste was certainly knew and different, while familiar just a bit. I do think I will sweeten it a bit next time, but I will not overdo the sugar.<br />
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And once I am thoroughly familiar with the Earl Grey I will move on to the Oolong I bought and compare the two. Then the Darjeeling...<br />
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Your picture for today isn't totally random. I posted about a gift, both for a stranger and myself, and give you a picture of my 15 and 14 year old daughters.<br />
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Not a RECENT picture, of course, but well, a cute one.RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-23602453265005196082013-04-09T17:28:00.001-05:002013-04-09T17:28:49.355-05:00Not medicated...muchI have no news other than to say I have mellowed a bit since this morning. Things are what they are. I am still not happy, but I am no longer frothing at the mouth.<br />
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We have the money to pay the tax bill AND go on a smaller vacation. I am going to look into having mom watch the girls in a few weeks and get away with DH. For a whole family thing we'll wait a few months; after Labor Day maybe.<br />
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I got the steaming out of my system and I am cooler about the whole matter. Without drugs. (Though I did take my blood pressure meds and some Tylenol.) Because that is how things roll around here.<br />
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From Epic Roadtrip 2012 B - The house my family lived in 1980-1984. Words cannot adequately express how much BIGGER the house was then. It has obviously shrunk, look at the tree! That is little more than a tall bush. I know because my memory says it is so.<br />
Also, the house used to be yellow; bright, mustardy yellow with dark green shutters.<br />
Behind the house, but to the right, there is a field where all of the back yards fail to meet. A sort of communal grassy area. We used to play there as kids, pretending to be whatever we liked, especially that we could travel to Narnia to fight badguys and such. That is The Narnia Field.<br />
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<br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-92068353953411775432013-04-09T06:27:00.001-05:002013-04-09T06:27:29.697-05:00Then again, maybe not Well, after a post about how excited I am to be making vacation plans, I decided that I needed to file our taxes. I don't wait until the last minute, but the last week, sure.<br />
<b>U</b>ncle <b>S</b>am is being quite gracious about the short sale of our house. Thank you.<br />
<b>M</b>iss <b>S</b>ippy, not so much. They want their piece of the "income" from the cancelled debt from our short sale...you know, money that doesn't actually exist.<br />
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We can pay it (thanks to having saved some money that DOES exist (if electronically)) but <b>may</b> have to put our vacation on hold for a while. Maybe. We might still be able to go soon. We have to talk it over. <br />
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I am not a happy camper right now.<br />
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On the bright side, what I am feeling is ANGER. There have been times in the past when this would have been DESPAIR. No, I am not hanging my head, I am PISSED.<br />
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Is there a total disconnect between the ears of government bureaucrats?<br />
"Our records show here where $120,000 you would have made and paid over the next 30 years will no longer need to be paid over the next 30 years. How nice. Pay us $6000."<br />
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GRRR!!!!<br />
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I am so angry I am considering not showing you a picture. But no, that is petty. It isn't your fault the state off Mississippi is a douche. (I am not usually given to foul language, so you know I am very upset here.)<br />
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And choosing a picture will help calm me. But it won't be a picture of anything of or in Mississippi. (So, take THAT!)<br />
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DD15 being peaceful in Kentucky.<br /><br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-85637994075590988182013-04-08T01:54:00.000-05:002013-04-08T01:54:42.250-05:00Crazy, Vacation, and DIRT!Our 16th wedding anniversary is coming up in a couple of weeks. We had thought to get away together for a mini-vacation. He'd take a few days off work and the two of us would hit the road. We'd get time alone together, see some sights, and I could gather more world for my collection. (To be completely honest "World Collection" isn't sticking around here. It is most definitely a Dirt Collection. OK, I can own that. So, I collect dirt, so what? I LIKE my dirt!)<br />
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Unfortunately, a perfect storm of family scheduling means Mom won't be able to stay with the girls. And 4 days (our plan) is too long to be away without supervision. *sigh<br />
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So, we started thinking about postponing the trip, but extending it longer and taking the munchkins. (Hmm...they are almost not even munchkins anymore. Need to come up with another affectionate diminutive.) Make it a family trip, see more than the previous plan called for. (Plus spend a lot more on food and hotels! yay)<br />
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I am halfway getting excited and halfway terrified. Will it be cool? Will it be awful?<br />
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<b>SNAP OUT OF IT!!!</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;"> (That is my inner sane voice. She has to yell, because I often don't listen.)</span><br />
<b>You were dreading last year's Epic Roadtrips, but those were fine. Even St. Louis at <u>rush hour</u>.</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(No, St. Louis at rush hour may have scarred me for life. St. Louis at rush hour is what has me terrified of Buffalo / Niagara.) </span><br />
<b>PSSHAW!!! Just be careful about scheduling WHEN you get to town. Look at the plan, it is a 9+ hour drive from Colonial Williamsburg to Niagara. The thought that you would arrive before 6pm is ludicrous!</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Good point.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Do I have to go through Chicago?</span><br />
<b>No, Sweetie. Babysteps. We'll go around Chicago.</b><br />
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This is going to be AWESOME!!! Extended trip means choosing some places to stay longer, and going to places we would not have been able to before. More fun, more places, more dirt!<br />
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There is a lot of stuff to get done first.<br />
<b>BUDGETING!</b> <span style="font-size: x-small;">(That is just bold for emphasis, not my sane voice yelling. She has been rendered harmless, tied up, and gagged.)</span> Must see how we can keep costs down. Fast food twice a day for 10 days is NOT going to cut it. <span style="font-size: x-small;"> (Get that gag back on!)</span> But cargo space is at a premium. It is all fine and good to say "Pack your own food," but we are going to also be packing our own clothes, and various electronics, and eventually little baggies of dirt. We'll probably pack some food, buy some along the way, and yes, eat out a few times. I already plan to make sure every hotel has breakfast included. duh!<br />
<b>MAPPING!</b> Who am I kidding, this is my favorite part. GoogleMaps is like a video game to me.<br />
<b>BOOKING!</b> This is one of the last pre-pack things I do. Must always wait until the decisions are made, <u>then</u> book. Cancellations are a pain in the tookus. Also, I always do this online. I hate talking to people on the phone. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(I am a freak.)</span><br />
<b>APPLYING!</b> Passports!!! It would be a crying (weeping, bleeding, oozing) shame to get that close to Canada and not be able to get some Canada for my collection. This will begin to make it an actual WORLD collection, instead of a state collection. This won't be the first time I apply for a passport, just the first time in over 20 years. It also won't be the first time I have been to Canada. Just the first time in over 20 years. (Oddly, those two "over 20 years" facts are not related. You didn't need a passport to visit Canada in 1990. The passport was for Chile, Argentina, and Brazil, which you did need a passport for in 1991.)<br />
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Wow! This post has gotten long and really isn't telling you much about what is going on around here. Sorry. I am just excited. I don't have much to say about how things have been going. I have been a little depressed and feeling like a lump. Planning this trip has been a nice wake up.<br />
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Let's see if I can find some of the pics form last year's Epic Roadtrip 2012 1, 2 and 3 (Yes, there were 3.)<br />
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Paducah, Kentucky DD14 (then) and I on our way to see the National Quilt Museum. It is an ok way to spend an hour if you like quilts.<br />
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DD14 at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri. That is her, right at the base of the arch, being peaceful.<br />
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Here is another shot of the arch. I love this shot. I am seriously tempted to have it framed.</div>
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Here is DD13 (then) being peaceful in southern Minnesota. We didn't really HAVE to go to Minnesota. But we were close and I didn't have any Minnesota in my collection...</div>
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I didn't tell them to throw the Peace sign, and neither girl was present at the other photo...just a thing between sisters, I guess.<br />
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The trips were to take my brother to Des Moines for a seasonal job and then pick him up again. I took one girl each trip, for company and ... well, just for company. I love being with my girls and we don't often get one on one time.<br />
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That left one girl out of the action, though. So, when her birthday came around she got a special, long weekend with Mom in Atlanta.<br />
DD11 (but only for 2 more days) and I were at the GA Aquarium. Which was FANTASTIC! Here she is at the petting pool.<br />
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The aquarium was such a hit with her (and me) that we are planning to make it part of the family trip coming up.<br />
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And, because it has been such a focus for this post, one bonus pic...<br />
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I currently have ten states (Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, S. Dakota, Minnesota, Missouri, Kentucky, and Georgia) and one bottle of water (Christmas Snow 2012). I had more water, but after gathering Sardis Reservoir, Puskus Lake, and the Talahatchie River I left the bottles in the car and forgot to get them out a few days later when I assigned the girls to clean out the car. At least those are local and can be easily replaced. (Which is why I don't have any Mississippi or Tennessee. I keep putting it off because I could get those any time.)<br />
The Nebraska is from a field where my friends and I played when I was a child. We made up Narnian adventures (among other worlds.) I wanted THAT to be my Nebraska dirt.<br />
The Kentucky is specifically from my in-laws' yard. The snow was as well.<br />
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After this trip, if all goes as currently planned, I will add Alabama, S. Carolina, N. Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York, Ontario, Michigan, and Illinois. On the water side, I will add the Atlantic Ocean, the James River, the Potomac River, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, and (I am hoping) the Mississippi River. Oh, and some Myrtle Beach, separate from South Carolina dirt. <br />
I need more glassware. I filled the antique spice bottle set you see in the picture. I have GA, and KY in jars. I have one empty jar ready. I need to move the snow water to a smaller bottle and use that jar for dirt. Colonial Williamsburg has a glass blower, so I may pick up something there to keep the Virginia dirt in. Other than that, a trip to the thrift store should help, as well as the grocery store.<br />
Have you ever bought a certain food just because of the jar it came in? This won't be my first time.<br />
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I had better sign off before this post gets too long and rambly...<b>too late</b>!<br />
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Haha, I just realized that when petting the rays at the aquarium we were instructed to use just two fingers. So, while they were not exactly the same, she is also sort of giving a peace sign. 3 for 3!<br />
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<br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-35459675997622702112012-12-08T12:53:00.002-06:002012-12-08T12:54:18.770-06:00Birthdays, Fear, and WhatnotLife goes on and I don't post. That is how this blog goes really. If you don't know that by now, well...you must be new. But if you are new, know that I intend to post more often. If you are not new, you will know that that is not the first time I have said that. (or the second...or even the third)<br />
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My 40th birthday is next week. That has been on my mind a lot lately. Not fear of growing old (though there is some) or longing to be young (though there is some) but there are a lot of regrets for things that I have not done. Not the important stuff (mostly) like spending time with my husband and kids. Trust me, I get plenty of family time. But, things like becoming a writer, or artist, or crafter. I even found myself thinking things like it is too late to try new things, etc. DH talked me out of that bit of nonsense. As long as I am still breathing there is no reason that should be all I am doing.<br />
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You wouldn't think it to read a mostly abandoned blog, but I am somewhat shy in real life. Once I know someone I open up, but around strangers I am very quiet, worried about what they will think, and afraid of getting into trouble. Made for a model student in public school, but as an adult it leaves me lonely (other than DH and the kids.) One of the things I have planned for after 40 is to shed that straight jacket. OF course, that may lead to people believing I should actually be IN a straight jacket. But what do I care what they think?! (Unless they are a judge with the power to commit me, in which case, "I was just acting silly, Your Honor.")<br />
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One of my themes for this year has been getting rid of fear (in situations where it is not needed) and I plan to continue that as I move into my next decade.<br />
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I'll keep you posted (probably...um...maybe...um...sporadically) on how things are going. Including pics of the world outside that my social anxiety has kept me from enjoying, or even seeing sometimes.<br />
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Until then, here is a random picture already on my computer that I have not even chosen yet as I type this. (Off to browse...)<br />
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It is my 12 inch 10th Doctor saying that I have every right to be a writer. (and by association, anything else I want that doesn't require years of schooling, and even if it DOES, I am not too old to get that schooling!)<br />
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Now, blog post made, I am off to knit something. (I am NOT getting OLD!!!!)<br />
<br />RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-622826679672979117.post-57014770641498353582012-08-05T19:58:00.001-05:002012-08-05T19:58:27.855-05:00A mile farther alongJust got off my butt and walked a mile around the neighborhood. I am still alive (and not even as close to dying as I expected to be) and feeling great.
I took dd11 along, for company and so I could send her for her dad if I just could not finish. It didn't even get close to that!
It may have taken almost an hour, but that is an hour I did not spend on Facebook or watching TV.
This will not be the last mile I walk, believe you me.
DD13 (then known as dd10) caught a fish. She was one of the only ones who did at the company picnic that day. July 2009
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJUojp6LDpL-8l97V1bfK3H96E3B1D9U2c_uGh1hVPH2rqt5OIz8bL0MfNhDoCEHPHEi7nWIX1lT4h171aPNIdyD_ziGU0n1cmv_AX24NoHP0ZPLprmuc53qQ5i64lh9IlDT0HqFrdcMj/s1600/IMG_5143.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGJUojp6LDpL-8l97V1bfK3H96E3B1D9U2c_uGh1hVPH2rqt5OIz8bL0MfNhDoCEHPHEi7nWIX1lT4h171aPNIdyD_ziGU0n1cmv_AX24NoHP0ZPLprmuc53qQ5i64lh9IlDT0HqFrdcMj/s320/IMG_5143.JPG" /></a></div>RebelAngelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06378809557123102752noreply@blogger.com0